The present invention relates generally to a trenching apparatus and more particularly to a trenching apparatus for use in hard and discontinuous soils.
The most common type of trenching apparatus is the one having a continuous chain having digging teeth thereon. When the chain is driven, the teeth engage the earth and thereby cause the soil to be removed. One of the problems with the common chain type trencher is that it is not very effective in discontinuous soils, such as soils having rocks or the like therein. The common chain type trencher is also not very effective in very hard soils such as continuously rocky geological formations.
Another problem with the conventional chain type trenchers is that the moving parts thereof are all necessarily exposed, whereby creating a substantial safety hazard.
Additionally, it would also be desirable to be able to dig a ditch having a variable cross-sectional configuration, especially if the cross-sectional configuration was to be larger at the bottom than at the top. This trench configuration would be extremely useful for placing concrete footing, but such trenching configurations have not been possible by using only a conventional chain type trenching apparatus.